World Cup 2018 tickets scam hitting fans worldwide

Kaspersky Lab warns buyers not to fall for World Cup 2018 ticket scams

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With just weeks until the start of World Cup 2018, fans across the world are busy getting excited to support their heroes.

However ticket-hungry supporters still hoping to travel to Russia have been warned to beware a number of online scams targeting those desperate to see some action.

Researchers at Kaspersky Lab have spotted an email phishing scheme themed around the World Cup that supposedly offer fans the chance to snap up tickets, but in reality will just leave them out of pocket.

Ticket scam

Anyone looking to purchase official World Cup tickets needs to complete several authentication steps, including buying through the official FIFA website, and the ability to only buy a ticket at a time - or selecting the "guest tickets" option, which allows up to three extra tickets to be bought.

Kaspersky Lab found that scammers have now leapt on this latter detail to offer guest tickets at incredibly inflated prices. However when a customer attempts to buy such a ticket, their payment information is stolen and used for criminal purposes - with no tickets ever delivered.

Even for those victims who receive supposedly legitimate tickets may not be getting what they wanted, as there is no guarantee what they get will work at the stadium.

“With an event such as the World Cup, there is a high risk that football fans will pay extortionate prices - only to end up with fake tickets. Once a hacker has your payment details, it can lead to them stealing your money. We urge people to be cautious and vigilant when they buy tickets. The first step is using authorised sellers to avoid getting duped,” David Mole, head of sales UKI at Kaspersky Lab, warned.